


Our love is a ghost that the others can't see

by FanFicReader01



Series: Peculiar encounters of a taxi driver [33]
Category: Biohazard | Resident Evil (Gameverse)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - No Zombie Apocalypse, Body Horror, Eye Stealers - Freeform, F/M, Monsters, Murder, Mystery, Obsessive Behavior, Songfic, Stalking, Supernatural Elements, Taxi AU, Werewolves, leon and claire make brief appearances, st verse
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-01
Updated: 2020-05-01
Packaged: 2021-03-01 23:48:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,904
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23945701
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FanFicReader01/pseuds/FanFicReader01
Summary: An angel is a beautiful, ethereal creature, or so people believe. It’s closer to the truth if you say that they are monstrous beings.They have too many eyes and their wings could take up an entire sky, darkening it forever. However, they are not alike to Eye Stealers.Do not confuse an Eye Stealer for an angel. Andnever, ever look into an Eye Stealer’s eyes.
Relationships: Nicholai Ginovaef | Nikolai Zinoviev/Jill Valentine
Series: Peculiar encounters of a taxi driver [33]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1245359
Comments: 9
Kudos: 14





	Our love is a ghost that the others can't see

**Author's Note:**

> So yeah, where to begin?  
> First of all, this is the first oneshot in my new series _Angels _A couple of unrelated fanfics that have the topic 'angels' as a red thread/backbone >:)__
> 
> __  
> _Secondly, this fic is now also part of my semi original work and universe that I have dubbed the Strange Trails universe. (Peculiar encounters of a taxi driver is the original title of the series but it's ST or taxi au for short.)  
>  Quick summary about that AU: it is inspired by hgk477 posts on tumblr, supernatural elements in general and the music of Lord Huron on their album Strange Trails (hence the name of the AU) The universe is like ours, but with strange, peculiar things happening and supernatural creatures roaming around!_
> 
> _  
> _Thirdly: the title and the lyrics come from Agnes Obel's hauntingly beautiful song 'Familiar'! I really was switching between that song and Evil Angel by Breaking Benjamin, but I eventually settled on this one becos the lyrics fitted more to the story :D__  
> 

**_Can you walk on the water with I, you and I?_ **

**_Or keep your eyes on the road and live there familiar, without you and I_ **

_An angel is a beautiful, ethereal creature, or so people believe. It’s closer to the truth if you say that they are monstrous beings. They have too many eyes and their wings could take up an entire sky, darkening it forever. However, they are not alike to Eye Stealers. Do not confuse an Eye Stealer for an angel. And never,_ ever _look into an Eye Stealer’s eyes._

Jill snaps her eyes open. Her sweaty skin sticks to the blankets and mattress above and below. She lets out a deep sigh before getting out of bed. She looks at her alarm clock. _02:10_. Too fucking early. As she saunters to her bathroom for a glass of water, she rubs some sleep out of her eyes. She cringes when she puts on the bright, artificial lights. Damn it, she hasn’t been able to sleep properly for a while now. She blames it on her last, disturbing case involving a brutal series of murders by the hand-, correction, _claw_ of a Lycan. In the end, they could not let the beast live and had to execute them. Carlos and Chris had been with her when she had to take the shot. But she couldn’t. So Carlos had jumped in and got seriously wounded, even while he was in his own Lycan form. It had almost costed him a leg and he’s still having trouble walking today. Jill feels guilty as hell. The young police woman looks in the mirror and laughs out loud as she remembers her mother’s warnings when she was a child. There does not exist such thing as an angel, something that holy. But it is funny how otherworldly creatures _do_ exist. And was it not for such creatures, she would not have this job right now. Her job as a police officer in the specialised supernatural department that is: a dedicated group of humans who take the paranormal cases on them. Carlos is the only non-human of their group. Jill is glad to have him on the team and even with the trauma of their previous case, she hasn’t become scared of the Lycan. And she’s glad for that. Next to Chris, Carlos is her best colleague and friend and she wouldn’t want to lose them.

After having drunk two glasses of cold water, she gets back to bed only to stay awake for the next two hours. At six she’s up and about. She’s the first to arrive at the police department. Next one coming in is Chris. He’s carrying a thick envelope with a lot of research documents in it. When he sees his colleague, he gives the woman a worried look. “You sleeping alright?”

“Not really. But I’d rather stay awake than have nightmares,” Jill confesses. Chris shakes his head and before he can say anything Jill interrupts: “Yeah, I know. I should go see a therapist but we have a new case right here. We can’t just ignore that.”

“But you can’t ignore your mental health either,” Chris counters. “Besides, I can do this with Oliveira.”

“Not in the field, though. His leg is still too injured,” Jill reminds him.

“He’s good support from the side-line. Look, I just don’t want you to get involved if it possibly involves another serial killer,” Chris insists.

“ _If_ it is a serial killer. We’re not sure about that yet. Hence, we’re doing a lot of research first,” the woman argues. Their conversation gets cut short when Irons enters the room.

“Good morning. I hope you two are ready for the next big case. The briefing of today will eight we’ll have a meeting, I want you all to be ready.” With no place for protest, his employees nod.

Carlos comes in a half hour later. He puts his crutch aside once he can sit down. Jill immediately helps him. It’s the least she can do for him right now.

“How are you feeling?” Jill wants to know.

“I’m doing fine. Can’t wait to get my nose on the next case. Heard Irons really needs my help.”

“Which is insane. You should rest some more,” Jill points out, completely ignoring the hypocrisy in her words. She should be taken off any dangerous cases too.

“I’m fine. I can handle this. And together with Chris, we make the best team,” Carlos smiles, his yellow eyes all warm and soft. He still believes in her, even after she had endangered the entire team by getting too emotional over the target. Eyes, equally yellow as Carlos’, will plague her forever.

A few hours later they all sit in the police car. They’re going to investigate an old motel that is rumoured to be abandoned for years. Strange sightings have been around the building and they hope to find clues on the killer. Carlos is reading some reports and is frowning.

“Found anything useful?” Jill asks.

“Hm, I’m looking. As expected…. Yeah, we’re going to have to be careful. Many of these so-called abandoned motels are infested with Eye Stealers.”

“Eye Stealers? Wasn’t Wesker involved with those freaks?” Chris huffs annoyed while keeping his eyes on the road.

“So do we have sunglasses or other eye protection on us?” Jill tries to sound neutral but honestly she’s is nervous as hell. The case that resulted in Wesker’s death is yet another memory she can’t keep out of her head. It’s a painful proof that the warnings of her mother were grounded in a truth, not some creepy fairy tale. Those monsters she had whispered about were real.

Jill nor Chris had been there when it happened but they’ve seen the aftermath and Wesker’s eyeless, mutilated face. Nobody has ever caught the Eye Stealers responsible for his death. In fact, nobody on the supernatural department has ever seen an Eye Stealer without being able to tell the tale. It’s kind of ironic how ghosts are easier spotted than those bastards. There’s just too less intel on those creatures and the information that is available, is questionable and never fully confirmed.

It makes it even harder for the SRPD to fight them if necessary. To think they might encounter them sends shivers down Jill’s spine. At least they are maybe a eighty percent sure that wearing non transparent goggles will protect them. Still, the police woman isn’t a fan of proof testing that possibility in real life. She doesn’t want to sacrifice her friends for that.

“I thought about it. There should be a set of sunglasses in the back of my chair,” Carlos replies. Jill quickly reaches forward and finds a few old glasses. She puts them on and gives the remaining ones to Carlos. The tires screech when Chris hits the brakes. They’re finally here. It doesn’t help that today is a gloomy, sunless day. Maybe it will even rain. Jill gets out of the car and looks around. They’ve stopped at the empty parking place. The concrete below shows some cracks. Two and a half hours they had to drive to get here. As if on instinct, she holds her hand close to her gun’s holster. Chris and Carlos also seem to be wary.

“We split up and search the building. If something’s a miss or we find something vital, we’ll use the walkie-talkies ,” Chris nods at his team. Usually, you need a declaration that allows you to search a certain place, but as this building is assumingly abandoned, they don’t have to.

Carlos puts his nose to good use and quickly finds a trail he starts following. Chris enters the ground floor while Jill searches the outside area.

Not wanting to get jumped unprepared, she takes out her gun, the weight both comfortable and nervously in her palm. She is more nervous than she wants to admit. Investigation missions like this had always put her on edge, but now more than ever. Even if she knows the murderous Lycan of the previous case is dead, she cant’ shrug off the mantle of unease. Maybe Chris was right and she should’ve state at the department or better yet, be taken off any cases. She should’ve gone to therapy, take a good nap or-

She almost jumps in the air when she hears something clatter to the ground. She spins around, her gun already aiming at a possible threat. She brusquely exhales as she realises it was just some raccoon nosing around in a trash can. She almost lets out a chuckle of how paranoid she is. As she watches the animal scuttle away, she’s sure she then sees some shadow shift in the corner of her eye. Again she holds her weapon aimed high but there’s nothing in sight. Just some bushes, the empty parking and those containers. Maybe she should get inside too.

“Chris, do you copy?”

“Yes, Jill. Did you find something outside?”

“Negative. I’m going inside too. Where you at?”

“Still exploring the ground level. Maybe you could check out the first floor already?”

“Will do that. Over and out.” Jill puts her walkie-talkie back in her pocket and goes inside via the front door. The reception is of course unoccupied. Some old flyers lay on the desk on top of a layer of dust. She decides to take the keys that hang on a wooden plank. They might come in handy if she wants to explore the rooms. Even though there doesn’t seem to be any signs of life around, she can’t help but feeling like an intruder. Not even trying the elevator, she uses the staircase. There hangs a strange smell around this place. Warnings about Eye Stealers come back to her as she makes it to the first floor. She wonders if those creatures have a smell. She knows Carlos has a funny smell. Something wild, musky but she has grown used to it.

“Carlos, Chris, you copy?”

“Copy and clear,” the two men reply quickly.

“I’m on the first floor now. What are your positions?”

“I’m in the restaurant,” Chris informs. Carlos has found his way to the basement.

“Stay safe,” Jill mutters before hanging up on them. The planks beneath her creak with every step. In a way, it feels like when she was a little kid, sneaking around the house in search of the forbidden snack jar. Every creak that isn’t her own, makes the hairs on her skin spring up.

**_We took a walk to the summit at night, you and I  
To burn a hole in the old grip of the familiar, you and I_ **

The police woman is searching her fifth room when suddenly a door gets slammed shut. Immediately she grabs her weapon and readies it to fire. Jill stumbles backward as she’s now sure she can hear footsteps approach. But there is nobody in sight. Ghosts? No, most of them cannot materialise or interact physically with the world of the living. Did she imagine that shadow, the footsteps? Her heel gets stuck against the bed and she falls back onto the mattress. There is definitely something here. She closes her eyes and before she knows it, she fires a bullet into the ceiling. When she opens her eyes, she sees something gooey and bloody lays on the floor. She can’t quite tell what it is, but she knows it wasn’t there before. Her heart starts to beat faster and faster. She is losing it.

“Jill? Jill what happened?” Carlos concerned voice crackles through her walkie-talkie.

“I-, I thought I saw something,” the woman gasps once she finds her voice again.

“Where are you?”

“First floor. Room 12,” she manages to say. Her hands are trembling and despite of it, she manages to turn on the gun safety again. A few minutes later the Lycan enters the room, clearly worried. He struts as fast as his leg allows him over to her and grabs her by the shoulders to pull her out of her shock.

“Jill, I’m here. It’s okay.”

His gentle eyes, warm hands and overall presence manage to pull her back to earth. She blinks a few times to shake off her imagination. She points at the thing on the floor.

Carlos peers at it before ducking down and sniffing the strange thing. He snarls and looks disgusted. “Yuck, is that an _eye_?”

The heart that was beating so fast just a few minutes ago, stands still for a sec. Could it be from an actual Eye Stealer? Carlos pulls Jill up from the bed and gestures her to go outside.

“Chris, do you hear me?”

“Yes, what’s going on?”

“I think it’s better to leave. This place just reeks of invisible trouble.”

“What about the mission?” Chris questions but it’s audible he isn’t a fan of obeying Irons like that either.

“Valentine is not feeling well. We better investigate another time without her,” Carlos opts. Jill pulls away from the taller guy and throws him a look.

“I don’t want you guys to abandon the mission just because I was a bit on edge,” she tries to laugh it off but the Lycan looks dead serious.

“You’re right to be. I smell an indescribable presence.” Jill visibly gulps. So there _are_ Stealers here.

As Carlos and Jill walk through the balcony that gives a view on their car, the woman keeps looking around her to see if something off. Nothing.

“Did you find evidence?” she asks on their way back.

“I seems like somebody or _something_ had stored some meat in the cellar. It was disgusting. But there was no hint at any struggle. I don’t think this is the killer’s hideout. Or well, the one we’re after,” Carlos informs her and honestly, that information doesn’t soothe her. Now they’re maybe onto something extra. Something equally dangerous.

**And the dark was opening wide, do or die**

**Under a mask of vermillion (a million) ruling eyes**

“Maybe you should continue exploring the building. I’ll stay in the car. That’s the safest spot,” Jill tries to convince her teammates but they’re sceptical. 

“We don’t have to stick around, Jill. We can come back tomorrow,” Chris counters.

“That would be a waste of time,” the woman points out and they know it’s true. “I’m sorry for upsetting you two so much but I can wait here.”

The two men give each other a look and then Carlos speaks up: “If we don’t come back in time, drive away and save yourself.”

“What? I’m not going to abandon you! If I must, I’ll drive that car into the building if it can save your asses,” Jill exclaims almost offended on merely imagining to leave her colleagues to die in some crappy, creepy motel.

“Okay. We’ll try to be quick about it,” Chris nods and then the two men get back into the motel. Jill locks the doors and stretches her arms, resting them on the steering wheel. She’s safe in here. Whatever is out there, should first get in the car before they can get to her. In the meantime she tries to calm herself down, trying those meditation lessons from her mother. Breathe in. Hold it for a few seconds. Then exhale. In. Hold it. Exhale. Repeat. A few minutes in and she’s getting the hang of it. All of a sudden an invisible energy falls on her. It’s like what she felt when she was exploring that room. Despite her increasing fear, she snaps her eyes open and then she sees it. A figure standing in front of the car. At first, it looks like a normal man. A tall man, but still human. The stranger has silvery short hair. But as she stares longer and her vision comes back to her, she sees that is no ordinary man. A glossy grey fills the man’s eyes. Those eyes. They look dead. She swallows thickly. His head is surrounded by vibrant, _vivid floating_ eyes. A halo of countless, big glimmering eyes that are all pointed at her. _Looking_ at her. Jill’s mind is going blank.

_They have too many eyes._

With an half open mouth she looks down. His limbs, so long. Uncanny long. His skin is pale like those dead eyes. And even if she should be frightened now, she suddenly no longer is. In fact, it’s like she can’t feel anything at all. Emotionally numbed. And maybe secretly, she welcomes that feeling as she is no longer overtaken by paranoia.

_And never,_ ever _look into an Eye Stealer’s eyes._

All Jill can do now, is lowering her sunglasses to get a better look at the man even if it goes against all warnings from her mother, all precautious actions she was taught at the SRPD. There she sits, pinned to the driver’s seat with all those eyes on her. The most colourful eyes she’s ever seen. There’s a strange beauty to see them out of their usual sockets. The Eye Stealer inches closer, behind him a sudden mist forms. It’s as if the weather around them has become denser.

_Their wings could take up an entire sky._

A smirk is readable on the man’s lips. That’s how close he stands now, next to the door window. Without even realising, Jill has her head turned to meet the ominous face. His skin has cracks in it.

Jill should scream, start the engine, but she does none of that. Instead, she takes another irresponsible action, completely driven by this creature’s presence and the seemingly invisible strings it has wrapped around her. She opens the window of her car so there is no barrier between them.

“ _Miss Valentine_ ,” her name rolls off the Eye Stealer’s lips with a Russian accent.

Instead of wondering how the creature knows her name her mouth moves on its own. _Do you have a name?_

“Nicholai.”

Before she can react to his name, he disappears. Just disappears and as abrupt his departure is, so abrupt Jill comes back to her senses. This time stunned by how surreal, almost _ethereal_ her encounter was, she looks around her. Carlos and Chris are walking back to the car.

“Everything alright?” Carlos immediately asks. Jill nods absently. Then she realises Chris wants to get behind the wheel again. Slowly she gets out of the driver’s seat and gets in from the back.

“Why’s the window open?” the older guy questions.

“Oh, it got a bit musty inside,” Jill lies.

The Lycan gets in next to Chris and shifts his body so he is facing his female colleague. “You look… absent. As if you saw some ghost. You sure everything is okay?”

Jill might as well have seen a ghost but she remains quiet about it. “I’m fine. Just… This place creeps me out.”

“Tell me about it,” Carlos huffs and Chris agrees with a simple nod. Then they drive off and Jill looks behind her but there is no trace of Nicholai left.

**(Oh what you do to me)  
Gonna be the death of me  
It's danger**

She isn’t sure if she should be happy with that strange encounter or not. On one hand, she’s glad that for once, she can think about something less traumatising that is the serial killer Lycan case and Wesker’s death. But on the other hand, this is a whole different kind of haunting. Those countless eyes, whenever she closes her own those other uncanny orbs look back at her in an otherwise empty void. They’ve filled it like stars and question marks.

Almost every night she wonders why she wasn’t killed back then. Why did that Eye Stealer just let her go? No harm done. Was he toying with her? Is he still waiting for her out there? Waiting for her to return and finish her off? If so, he should wait a long time. Although she is still on the current case, she isn’t going out in the field anymore. Carlos is put on house arrest too but that’s because of his leg. During Chris and Carlos’ second investigation, the Lycan had fallen into some nasty placed hunter’s trap and now he’s working at the department with Jill. Instead, Chris’ sister has joined him together with a rookie named Leon for field trips.

But just because Jill is now working at the police station and takes more breaks, doesn’t mean she goes to therapy. She doesn’t trust those people. She doubts if therapists even believe in the paranormal, if they’re maybe insensible or just ignorant about it. She knows enough common folks who think a special supernatural department is ridiculous and uncalled for.

It’s been two weeks since her encounter with the mysterious Eye Stealer and the investigation isn’t showing any progress, even with the extra help they’re getting. The more she thinks about it, the more she is convinced the killer they’re looking for is an Eye Stealer. She wonders if it is Nicholai. The answer to that, comes to her in the weekend via her mail.

At first she thinks it’s some misplaced prank by the youth on the lower floor of the flat building.

But when she inspects the actual little note, she realises this can’t be anybody else but the Eye Stealer.

_I’m not the one you’re looking for._

“Then who is it,” Jill mutters under her breath as she puts the note under her armpit together with the rest of the mail. Suddenly a cold breeze is felt but nobody opened the door. She gets back to her apartment and quickly locks the door behind her. She puts the note on her kitchen counter and pours herself a drink. How did he find her? That motel they’ve been exploring was two an a half hour away from the city. Do Eye Stealers drive cars? It brings even more questions to the foreground. Questions totally unrelated to their case but she can’t help but wonder if Eye Stealers have some grain of humanity left beside their apparent looks.

Later that night, she has Carlos over her floor. They have their monthly pizza night together. It’s a great comfort having the Lycan at her place. They exchange a platonic kiss before Carlos puts the two pizza boxes onto the table in front of the television.

“Great you’re here,” Jill smiles.

“No problem, super cop. How you’re holding up?”

“Good. I’m finally getting some dreamless sleep again,” she lies. She is _still_ having dreams. But they’re no longer about a murderous Lycan or a slain Wesker. They’re about the Eye Stealer.

“Great,” Carlos opens the boxes and takes out a slice. He deeply inhales the cheesy smell. He stops indulging in it and starts sniffing around.

“What’s the matter?” Jill stammers confused. She swears she had finally taken a moment to clean her apartment again. Did she miss a spot? But then again, Carlos’ sense of smell is strong. He could easily smell something that’s a week old.

“I thought I smelled something...never mind,” the Lycan shakes his head and finally takes a bite out of his pizza. Jill picks up a slice too now and turns on the television. Together they watch some comedy and for a moment Jill can forget about the note and the case.

Her colleague leaves at eleven. Jill waves him goodbye in the hallway before going back to her room. Her heart skips a beat when she finds another note under her door. She quickly looks around but there is literally nobody in sight. She picks up the paper. Same handwriting.

_But they’re like me._

Knowing it probably won’t help her any further, she exclaims: “Show yourself!” When she gets no reaction, she whispers his name but again, no reaction. Quickly she locks her door. If anybody would’ve seen her like that, they’d declare her insane. Maybe she is.

***

Another victim is found. For the first time the body is missing an eye. Jill stares at the file documents Chris has given her. There were footprints that led to nothing. “So we’re indeed chasing after an Eye Stealer,” she mutters as if she didn’t get a clue on some silly note.

“I want to believe that. But all evidence is… vague,” her colleague sighs. “The body, the foot steps and an unused knife is all evidence Kennedy and Redfield could find.”

“Not even fingerprints?”

Chris shakes his head. “I hope this isn’t going to be a cold case.”

“What if I go with you again?” Jill proposes but the others don’t want to risk it. House arrest it is, still.

The police woman goes home earlier than usual and checks her mailbox at the income hall of the apartment. For a moment she hopes to find another mysterious note in her box. Her thought gets rewarded.

_Are you afraid?_

Knowing it’s fruitless to look around in paranoia, she just walks back to her room. Only behind closed doors, she dares to let out some a gasp. What does the note mean? Afraid of what? There are plenty things she’s scared of. Scared of losing her friends and colleagues. The unreasonable fear that the serial killer will get up from the dead and come for her. Wesker’s dead body. Is she afraid of the Eye Stealer perhaps? She is not quite sure. He had spared her before. And now he feels like a ghost, stalking her apartment. She _should_ be scared. But she only feels confusion and a certain attraction.

Steadfast she walks to her kitchen and gets out a list she normally uses for her groceries. In bold letters she writes _I’m not afraid_. With the paper in hand and a bit of tape, she runs downstairs to her mailbox. She tapes the note down under the bottom of the box. She hopes nobody else will notice it.

Nervously she waits for the Stealer’s reply but it doesn’t come.

**Them in the dark on who we are**

Two weeks have passed and no notes, no feeling of being watched. She almost feels saddened. And with the absence of the Eye Stealer’s ghostly presence, her nightmares return. When she enters the police building with droopy eyes her colleagues give her a worried look. Before they can interrogate her and play for surrogate parents, she asks them to brief her about the case. Carlos has been doing some paperwork, Chris and Leon have been interviewing people in the area of the last murder. Claire has been put on a side-case. The redhaired police woman observes the other woman. Then her eyes go to Jill’s messy desk. “I don’t want to be all motherly but I think you’ll work better with a cleaner workspace. I can help, though.”

“Thanks,” Jill mutters as her eyes turn to the table. Something unusual springs out of the mess. A colourful candy wrapper that hadn’t been there before.

“Is this from any of you guys?” but it’s all negative. She inspects the wrinkled wrap closer. There are Russian words on it. Must be some Russian candy brand. _Miss Valentine_. It clicks. So he’s been here too now.

During lunch she asks if she can talk to Carlos in private, pretending it’s about therapy. Once they’re separated from the team, she mentions the candy wrap.

“What about it?”

“I think, this is going to sound stupid, but this might be a clue.”

“For the case?” the Lycan raises his eyebrow. Jill nods and then actually hands him the thing. His nose cringes at the smell. It’s almost the same as- “I believe you. But this is hella creepy. You should stay cautious.”

Jill nods but can’t assure she can keep that promise to him. “I’ll try to.”

***

It’s Saturday night and Jill is still lying in bed with her eyes wide open. Despite having received a possible hint about the criminal’s background, there has been no other sign of the Eye Stealer. Not at the department, not around her apartment. So when she suddenly hears a subtle ticking on the front door, she freezes. It takes her a few minutes to collect herself and get out of bed. The floor feels suddenly much colder to her bare feet as she makes her way to the front door. In the process she’s picked up her gun. Another note slipped under her door. There’s strangely nothing on it. Her hand is trembling when she pushes the door open. The hallway is cold and abandoned. She takes a few steps outside. Nobody. Nothing.

She sighs, realising she had been holding her breath the entire time. It gets taken away again once she’s in her living room. A tall shadow stands against the white drapes. _Angelic._ Even in the dark, those eyes seem to shine brightly. The stars in her void. He is here. In a place that should be a safe haven to her. But is she truly at danger? She doesn’t move. Just like the time at the motel, she is rendered immobile.

“Good evening, _Miss Valentine_ ,” the Eye Stealer finally speaks up. She swears she almost missed his voice.

“Why are you here?” the words manage to slip passed her lips. The tall man slowly walks toward her. His footsteps not even audible.

“You wanted me here,” he simply says. She remembers her note to him. Maybe secretly she’d hoped to see him again but for him to show up this unannounced, certainly took her by surprise. That piece of paper right now didn’t count.

His whitened eyes are fixed on her. They look right through her. They may seem blind, but she feels as if those orbs can look right into her soul, see every secret she holds.

“And you need me,” he says. She suspects he is referring to the crime case. What he maybe doesn’t know, is that she also craves his presence to fill her void and to drive away her nightmares. This time unable to speak, she simply nods at him. A smile creeps up his lips and he bares his teeth. Sharp. They could devour her. Just like those eyes that have pinned her down. Of all supernatural creatures she’s encountered in her life, none of them were like him.

With a clap of his hands, he pulls her out of her daze. “I have an address that might be worthy looking into. You have a pen? I forgot mine.”

“O-of course,” Jill stutters as she gets to her kitchen to find something to write on. She takes out a piece of paper and a pen. The man stalks behind her. She can feel his chest against her back. A hand reaches over her, grabbing her hand in his. He is big. Cold. Now she can clearly see the elongated fingers, the sharp nails. He pushes her hand through the motions and indirectly scribbles down an address.

“That should set you up for the next couple of days.” He lets go of her, leaving her wanting more. It is ridiculous on what he makes her want to feel.

He walks to her front door. Is he just going to leave her like that?

“Why? Why are you doing this?” she runs after him.

“You don’t need to know,” the Stealer says and right in front of her eyes, he disappears. Becomes thin air. The door is slammed shut in her face.

***

On Monday she informs Carlos on the address that she’s gotten ‘in the mail’. He looks suspicious but keeps it in mind anyway. “So this stalker really knows what we’re up to,” he grunts.

“I guess. But if we want to catch this killer, we’ll need all extra help we can,” Jill insists, even though she knows it’s stupid to just trust this Eye Stealer without question. But what other choice does she have?

“And after we find them, we’ll find that stalker of yours,” Carlos grins. That thought doesn’t please Jill but she remains silent about it and tries to keep a poker face.

The address the Eye Stealer, no _Nicholai_ , had given her, turns out to be a hideout of some sorts. Although the perpetrator is gone, the team has found clues they can work with. With Carlos back in business, it’s easier to track down the people, or rather, _creatures_ that had dwelled on the place.

“I don’t know how you found out, but it has helped us a great deal,” Chris congratulates her later as they all have a drink at the snack bar next-door to the police station. Jill weakly smiles. She should thank Nicholai for that.

**And our love is a ghost that the others can't see  
It's a danger**

The next dream she has about Nicholai shouldn’t leave her body aching like that. It’s on fire and even when she runs the cold shower over her body, she still feels those hands linger on her skin, his countless eyes burning holes in her like intense suns. She wonders when she will see him again.

Much to her luck, it’s in the week that follows. His presence starts with the knock on the door. To her surprise, it’s during the day. As he walks into her apartment, the eyes follow swiftly. They are angled to all sides and she wonders what his vision must look like.

“You look like you have slept well,” Nicholai sounds amused. He stands close to her, his eyes have shifted around them, trapping her in a circle. Images of last night’s dream flash in front of her. It makes her bite her lip without being able to stop it.

“Why did you do it?” she ignores his comment and fires the unanswered question at him.

The Stealer merely chuckles and his vibrating tone ripples through her still frame. “You’re an Eye Stealer.” There, she said it.

“Perhaps. Though some people go as far to describe us as _angels_. Funny,” the man says.

Funny indeed. Would angels kill, steal people’s eyes? “Why did you let me live?” Maybe specifying the question should help but it is met with a question on his side. “Why should it matter to you, Miss Valentine?”

The police woman clenches her fists.

Nicholai then gets something out of his jacket’s pocket. There’s a tape in his hands. He gifts it to her.

“What’s this?” she immediately asks, hoping this time he’ll provide her with an actual answer.

“A VHS tape.” She rolls her eyes.

“It’s camera footage I found at an old warehouse.”

“Do you know the killer or what?” Jill cuts to the chase. There’s a toothy smirk.

“Not directly. But as I wrote to you before, the killer is like me.”

“So an Eye Stealer, got it,” she snorts as she puts the tape away. She’ll show it to her team tomorrow.

“Do the others know?”

“About you? Hell no,” Jill says, almost sounding offended.

“The werewolf may smell me,” Nicholai notes, catching the woman off-guard with that. Come to think of it, Carlos indeed had his suspicions before.

“He won’t be any trouble, if that’s what you are worried about,” she huffs. Suddenly she feels like a traitor. What if Nicholai is actually their enemy but he pretends to be on their side? On _her_ side. But she also doesn’t want Carlos to go and kill him.

“I could take him on,” the Eye Stealer grins. “But I would rather not to.” He makes his leave but this time, Jill manages to grab him by the wrist. “ _Wait._ ”

Hundreds of questioning eyes stare back at her. Her heart is throbbing in her throat. Her nails dig deeper into his cool and dry skin.

“I-, thank you. For whatever reason you’re doing this, thanks.”

He doesn’t reply and before Jill can control herself, she stands on the tip of her toes and lets her lips brush over his. There’s a strange taste mixed with steel. Her cheeks flush a bright red. Her eyes are sealed shut and when she opens them, Nicholai is gone.

The tape is played at the office. Paranormal activity has been captured. Chris peers at it and grunts: “So these fuckers can turn invisible. That explains a lot why they’re so difficult to find.”

It also explains how Nicholai had managed to track her, track them. All this time, he had been _really_ watching her. She wasn’t going crazy after all. But now she is going crazy over him. She has to suppress to cackle out loud.

Chris turns to her. “I don’t know how you get all this information, Valentine, but it’s some vital evidence.” Luckily no other questions follow.

The investigation of the warehouse was successful but dangerous. Carlos had to transform into his second shape in order to capture an actual Eye Stealer which is now under interrogation by Irons. It’s a Russian man, as suspected. Jill watches from the double-sided glass windows. The Stealer’s eyes have been locked away and it looks like the man is now completely blind. When he doesn’t want to cooperate, Irons begins destroying the captured eyes one by one, leaving the Russian scream in agony. His real eye sockets are bleeding. Jill feels her stomach twist at the sight and sound of the tortured creature. She can’t help but imagine Nicholai in that chair. She walks away. She can’t take this anymore.

“Hey, Jill,” Carlos is walking behind her.

“I’m sorry, Carlos, I don’t feel well,” Jill confesses.

“Okay, I understand. Irons can be ruthless with his interrogations. Almost like Wes- But, hey, don’t forget that bastard is associated with the killer we’re after!”

“I know,” Jill snaps, harsher than intended and leaves the room. Even though she should be happy about being a step closer to the murderer and knowing more about Eye Stealer’s nature, it doesn’t sit right with her. Getting closer to the truth could also mean they’re closer to _him_.

***

The Eye Stealer’s next visit is a pleasant welcome and break from her work. Now that they’re really on the case like never before, Jill has more to do as well. Now her sleepless nights are caused by her job.

“I see you are quite busy,” Nicholai states as he ogles her home desk, scattered with papers and folders.

“Yes. All thanks to you,” Jill smiles. There is no longer even a hint of unease in her body when he is near. Actually, she feels safer with him.

“You are really close.”

“We have managed to capture one of the accomplices. He taught us more about your kind.”

“And what did you learn?”

“Enough,” she cheekily replies. If he isn’t going to answer her questions properly, she won’t either.

“Enough for you to watch your tongue, Miss Valentine,” he hisses as he lurks closer to her.

Jill grins and sticks out her tongue. “I do.” Before she can retreat, the Eye Stealer is on her. Her tongue caught between his teeth. He sucks her in. She gasps, her breath going through his mouth. She feels his hands on her shoulders, pulling her in. Her eyes close. Jill’s own hands find the man’s waist. She wishes she could stay like this forever. In his embrace, his scent, mysterious air and all eyes targeted at her. Dangerously close. Dangerously _comfortable_. He drowns out her sorrows, her fears and reason. That’s maybe the most supernatural thing about him.

When they untangle his touch still wallows around her. Even when he is already gone. But he’ll be back. She’s sure of it.

**Every shade of us you fade down to keep**

Jill can’t believe her ears. They’ve caught the culprit. Together with his three collaborators. They were a bunch of badly organised Stealers who were out on creating havoc. For the first time the police has managed to capture Eye Stealers and nobody got killed. Chris, Leon and Carlos have been wounded but not lethally. They are recovering in the hospital as we speak.

Jill stands in the clinic room where her colleagues are resting. Leon is having light therapy while Chris is still sleeping. Carlos is awake so she walks up to his bed first. She smiles at him. The Lycan reaches out his hand and she takes it. His fingers feel rough, bruised.

“Hey,” she says.

“Hey,” Carlos whispers back.

“I’m glad you all made it. The case is finally over. Apart from some paperwork,” she sighs in relief. The Lycan nods. His face is in slight pain as he tries to sit up. “Yeah. I just-, unbelievable. Eye Stealers are tough nuts to crack. Even for a guy like me.”

“But you guys did it anyway,” Jill points out.

“Yeah. There’s just one question left for me,” Carlos starts. Jill gulps, knowing where this is going. Eventually she had to answer to him. “Who is that stalker? Have you found out? Should I be worried? I know Chris and the others are also wondering. Though we have twisted some of the facts on how you got that information. Irons doesn’t have to know.”

“I-, I haven’t heard anything of them anymore,” Jill says. It’s true in a way. Nicholai hasn’t showed up anymore, much to her and her sleep’s disappointment.

Carlos chuckles and sniffs, now looking at the ceiling of the room. “Between you and me, Jill, was he an Eye Stealer?” His dark eyes lock with hers.

But without missing a beat Jill replies: “He was an angel.”

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked it. This story got longer than expected. At one point I thought of just ending the story after she encountered Nicholai for the first time & leaving everything else to the readers :P But I felt that would be too abrupt of an ending xD And I wanted to delve a bit further into their 'relationship'
> 
> This fic idea came from the fact that angels (the monstrous description type) and Eye Stealers share some common traits, as depicted in hte very introductoin  
> According to the meaning of the song by Agnes herself, it's about secrets & privacy and both Jill and Nicholai hold secrets from each other and to others around them. In a way, Nicholai has betrayed his own kind after all!  
> I rearranged the lyrics a bit to fit the story itself. I hope the lyrics speak for themselves and how they relate to the fic:')
> 
> Random extra facts:  
> \- Wesker has done some illegal business with Eye Stealers in the past and that is what got him killed. And ofc he never told his teammates about the creatures, which is why the department has so few knowledge  
> \- Eye Stealers can turn invisible but only for limited time (they are kind of shy creatures lol)  
> \- Some regular humans are like 'immune' or just insensible to the supernatural in the world.  
> \- Every time a Lycan changes into their 'final form', it does something to them mentally.  
> \- If you wanna know more about the STverse --> A Strange Guide: On Odd Phenomena & Creatures is your friend (and all those other fics I've written but let's not dwell on that lol. But dw: most of those stories remain vague on purpose as well)


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